Clearview, Kingsway Earn State Field Hockey Titles
South Jersey had two state champions in field hockey and once again both schools were from the Tri-County Conference.
Clearview captured its third straight state Group 3 title with a 2-1 win over North Hunterdon.
Celeste Conklin tied the game for Clearview in the third quarter and Olivia Cherian broke the 1-1 tie with a fourth quarter goal to provide the margin of victory for the Pioneers.
Goalie Marissa Buck made 11 saves for the Pioneers.
Before the state final, Clearview (22-3) had barely broken a sweat during the state tournament.
The Pioneers won their four South Jersey playoff games by a 28-1 margin. They beat Hammonton, 6-1, in the South Jersey Group 1 final.
While the state final was close, Clearview was dominant in the majority of its games this year.
The Pioneers finished with 130 goals and allowed just 23.
Freshman Blair Eber led the Pioneers with 39 goals. Midfielder Ella Gandy, a Rutgers commit, had a team-high 23 assists.
The Pioneers, as usual, played a challenging schedule and that certainly helped them when facing a talented team such as North Hunterdon.
Kingsway’s road to a fourth straight state title had plenty of bumps along the way.
The Dragons, who lost several key players from last year’s team due to graduation, started the season 0-6, which included a loss to Clearview.
This was a young team just gaining its footing, but the Dragons came on as the season progressed.
And Kingsway clearly progressed.
The Dragons didn’t get to over .500 until its final game, a 4-1 win over Phillipsburg in the state Group 4 championship.
That was Kingsway’s fourth consecutive field hockey state championship.
Reese Samra led the way against Phillipsburg with two goals.
Kingsway had breezed through the first three rounds of the state tournament, but then the Dragons were challenged in a 3-1 South Jersey Group 4 title win over Cherokee. Despite the close score, Kingsway had a 26-3 advantage in shots.
Kingsway ended with 83 goals and allowed 61.
Isabella Sanchez, a St. Joseph’s University commit, led the team with 25 goals. She is a four-year starter who obviously won state titles each season.
Samra, a junior, who has committed to Rutgers, finished with 19 goals.
A strong veteran contingent will return next season but replacing Sanchez will be a challenging task.
Either way, it was veterans such as Samra and Sanchez who kept the team afloat until many of the young players earned some needed experience.
It all paid off with yet another state title for a program that made up for a tough beginning with a sizzling ending.
Photo: Kingsway after winning the South Jersey Group 4 title / Marc Narducci
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Author: Marc Narducci
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